BERHAMPUR: Open-heart surgery has resumed at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur after a gap of 36 years, marking a significant milestone for cardiac care in southern Odisha.
A 26-year-old woman underwent the procedure on Wednesday. While hospital authorities declined to share detailed information, they confirmed that the woman, who had a small hole in her heart, underwent surgery that lasted over three hours. She has since been shifted to the ICU, where she remains on ventilator support under strict medical supervision.
The last open-heart surgeries at MKCG MCH were performed in 1990 by then surgeons Dr Suresh Mishra and Dr Sachi Mishra. Since then, no open-heart procedures had been conducted in the hospital despite the availability of necessary equipment. The primary hurdle was the absence of a trained perfusionist, a specialist essential to operate the heart-lung machine during such surgeries.
The long-standing issue was finally addressed after the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) deputed a perfusionist from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack to MKCG MCH. The perfusionist joined two weeks back, allowing the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department to become fully operational. The CTVS department, located on the fifth floor of the multi-specialty PMSSY block, was established about five years back with modern facilities and advanced machinery, including a state-of-the-art heart-lung machine.
Being the referral hospital for southern districts, MKCG MCH has long received patients with cardiac ailments. However, many of the patients had to be referred to hospitals in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, or Visakhapatnam for complex procedures.
“We had the infrastructure, but lacked expert handling of the machinery. With the perfusionist now available, the problem has been resolved,” said Dr Sarada Prasanna Sahu, associate professor and head of the CTVS department.
In recent months, the department has already performed two critical thoracic surgeries, one to remove a knife lodged in a man’s chest, and another to extract an arrow that had pierced dangerously close to the heart.
With open-heart surgery services now restored, four more patients have already been shortlisted for upcoming procedures in the MCH.